Study: Acupuncture Effective Treatment for Depression in Pregnant Women
In a study to be presented today at the Society for Maternal-Fetal Medicine’s annual meeting in Chicago, researchers found that acupuncture may be an effective treatment for depression during pregnancy.
“Depression during pregnancy is an issue of concern because it has negative effects on both the mother and the baby as well as the rest of the family,” says Dr. Schnyer, one of the study’s authors.
The evaluator-blinded randomized trial divided 150 pregnant women diagnosed with Major Depressive Disorder into three treatment groups: a depression specific acupuncture group, a control acupuncture group and a massage group. Twelve treatments were given over a period of eight weeks.
The results showed that the women who received depression specific acupuncture experienced a significantly greater decrease in depression severity compared to the control and massage groups.
Schnyer says “The results of our study show that the acupuncture protocol we tested could be a viable treatment option for depression during pregnancy.”
